Coin separator



June 13, 1939. F. E. A. WALLIN COIN SEPARATOR Filed March 10, 193'! I .3 Sheeis-Sheet 1 June 13, 1939. F. E. A. WALLIN 2,161,885

COIN SEPARATOR Filed March 10,1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FwdEA. Ila/{in June 13, 1939.

F. E. A. WALLjN COIN SEPARATOR 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed March 10, 1937 flea 273w?" F7360. EA. llhZ/L'n By M/A $644M kfzl'iiyt Patented June 13, 1939 UNITED STATES COIN SEPARATOR Fred E. A. Wallin, Chicago, 111., asaignor to N.

' Marshall Seeburg Application March 10, 1931 Serial No. 129,997

7 Claims.

This invention relates to coin separators and more particularly to a coin separator adapted to separate silver coins from coins or slugs of different metal. I

5 One of the objects of the invention is to provide an improved coin separator in which the silver coins are separated from all others exclusively by their electrical properties and particularly their conductivity.

10 A further object of the invention is to provide a coin separator of this type in which the coin is subjected to the influence of an electric field through which the coin is dropped freely.

A further object of the invention is to provide 15 a coin separator of this type in which the electric field is produced by permanent magnets and the separation is effected exclusively by the action of the field upon the-falling coin or coins.

Other objects, advantages and capabilities of 20 the invention will appear from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational sectional view 5 through a coin separator embodying my invention, the section being taken on the line I-I of Fig. 5;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of my improved coin separator; 30 Fig. 3 is a side elevation as viewed from the opposite side;

Fig. 4 Ba fragmentary sectional view, taken on the line 44 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a similar sectional view,.taken on the 35 line 5-5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a rear view of my coin separator; Fig. 7 is a sectional detail, taken on the line I.'I of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic view showing two sep- 40 arators combined together to prevent tilting.

Referring to the drawings, it is to be noted that the coin separator is included with a cabinet, the front wall of which is designated III. This wall includes a slot II for the reception of silver coins, 45 the slot being of suitable size for the reception of a silver coin of particular denomination. The wall I is provided with an opening I2 through which rejected coins may be delivered into a' cup I3.

50 On the inside of the wall are mounted a plurality of opposed magnets I4 which may suitably be of the horseshoe type. As shown in the drawings, four such magnets are employed. The magnets are arranged in two aligned pairs and 55 these pairs are arranged in opposition to each other to define a slot I through which the coin falls freely. These magnets are so arranged as to cause a strong field to exist across the slot I5. That is, referring to Fig. 7, if the upper pole of the left-hand magnet is north, then the upper 5 pole of the right-hand magnet is south, and so forth. Each pair of magnets is mounted by means of a bolt I6 and washer II upon a bracket I8.carried by the wall I0. Preferably the bolt I6 extends through a filling I9 of non-magnetic 10 metal located within the horseshoe of the magnet so that the walls defining the slot I5 are flush, as shown in Fig. 7. The bracket I8 is formed to locate the bolt- I6 on a slope, for example, at an angle of about 45 degrees to the vertical. Consequently, the fields created by the magnets I4 extend downwardly and rearwardly at an inclination to the vertical path.

I have found that if coins are'dropped into this downwardly sloping field, most common metals g0 and alloys will fall practically in the vertical direction as indicated by the dotted line in Fig.

1. In the case of a silver coin the magnetic field tends to draw the coin with it to a certain extent, which depends upon the high conductivity of the coin. This trajectory is indicated by the dot-and-dash line 2| on Fig. 1. In the case of copper and aluminum slugs, the higher conductivity of the pure copper over that of coinage silver on the one hand, and the lightness of aluminum on the other hand, causes these coins to be diverted from the vertical still further than the silver coins, as shown by the dot-and-dash line 22 in Fig. 1.

I provide means for delivering the coins in a uniform manner into the slot I5, through which they fall freely. These coins will be inserted by different people into the slot I I with different degrees of violence and I provide means for arresting the coins and allowing them to roll into the 40 slot I5. For this purpose I provide a receptacle 23 which is provided in its interior witha path 24 in alignment with the slot I I. As shown in Fig.

1, this path extends downwardly and an abutment block 25 is located directly across the down ward projection of this path. The block 25 has a gentle slope and a rounded corner over which the coin rolls into a chute 26 which extends downwardly to the apex of the magnet structure and in alignment with the slot I5. Consequently, no matter how violently a coin is inserted into the slot II, it is substantially arrested by the abutment 25 and after it has been arrested it rolls over the sloping surface of the abutment 25 and drops through the slot I5. The-receptacle 23 is provided at its rear end with an opening 21. Thi opening is provided so that if anyone endeavors to defraud the machine by tilting it backwards, the coin or slug inserted will roll rearwardly and fall into a collecting hopper 23, from which it will pass to the cup I3. I

Provision is made forthe arrestment and rejection of iron slugs, since such slugs would be firmly heldby the magnets l4 and would prevent the operation of the machine. Thus, a small magnet 29 may be mounted on one side of the receptacle 23 so that the iron slug is arrested when it reaches the block 28.- I mount on one of the side walls an arm '38 which carries at its extreme end a pin 3|. This .pin extends through a slot 32 into the path 24. It is normally held by a spring 33 out of a position in which it might engage a coin. passing through the guideway 24. The hub of the arm 38 carries a gear segment 34 whereby the arm may be swung so that the pin 3| moves through the slot 32 and ejects through the opening 21 a magnetic coin which may have been arrested by the magnet 29. The gear segment 34 is adapted to be actuated by a sector 38 carried by an arm 38 pivoted on the receptacle 23. The arm 38 is provided with a pin 31 which extends through a slot 38 into the guideway 24. This pin is so located that it is engaged by the insertion of a coin of the denomination for which the device is adapted, in such a manner that the arm 38 is'swung and the arm 38 is actuated so as to move the pin 3| through the slot 32 and effect the ejection of an arrested iron slug.

The manner in which the various coins and slugs, genuine and otherwise, drop through the slot I5, is shown diagrammatically on Fig. 1, by means of the dot-and-dash lines 20, 2| and 22. The genuine silver coins falling along the line 2| are received in a small hopper 39 located within the hopper 28. The hopper 39 communicates with a chute 48 which may lead to any desired device. Thus, the chute 48 may lead to any desired receptacle for genuine silver coins or it may lead to any manner of coin-freed mechanism with which the device may be used. Coins other than silver coins drop forwardly or rearwardly oi the hopper 39, as indicated by the paths 28 and 22, and these coins are discharged into the cup |3.

If desired, means may be provided to frustrate any attempt to beat the separator by means of heated copper discs. The hopper 39 is so located that it will receive silver coins within the normal operating range of temperature. It may here be noted that the trajectory 28, 2| or 22, for ex- I ample, which a particular metal disc will follow,

depends primarilyupontwo factors; that is, the

specific conductivity of the metal and its specific gravity. The specific gravity cuts .an important figure only in the case of aluminum, as has been pointed out previously. However, the trajectory of any particular coin will depend to some extent upon the prevailing temperature. The specific conductivity decreases with increase of temperature and if a slug of copper or aluminum were to be heated to the proper temperatureand inserted in the slot II, it could be made to fall into the hopper 39. This may be prevented by a thermo-responsive means. Thus, in one of the side walls of the receptacle 23 I may provide two vertical slots 4| and 42 and I may mount two relatively thin strips 43 and 44 o! bimetal therein. 'Ihe strip 43 is so arranged that it forms a considerable part of the wall of the guideway 24 and it extends down to a position near the block 25. The lower ends 01' the strips 43 and 44 extend into the forked arms 45 and 48 housed in the lower part of the receptacle 23. These arms are carried by a bar 41 which is pivotally mounted within the receptacle 23. One end of the bar 41 projects out of the housing and it has rigidly secured thereto an arm 48 which carries a shutter 49 normally located at one side of the hopper 39, as viewed in Fig. 6. The bimetal strips 43 and 44 are oppositely directed so that they balance each other and maintain the shutter 49in this position. When, however, a heated slug is placed into the machine, the bimetal strip 43 is strongly heated with the result that it curls outwardly and the arm 48 and shutter 49 are deflected to the right, as viewed in Fig. 6, so that the coin is deflected from the hopper 39.

Since the separation of genuine silver coins from all others is effected by means'of its distinctive trajectory, -evilly disposed persons may be tempted to change the eil'ective trajectory of spurious coins, or, rather, the relation 01' the structure similar in all respects to that described,

but inclined downwardly and forwardly instead of rearwardly. The hopper 39 adapted to receive silver coins from the lower magnetic. structure,

leads the same to the chute 48 in the manner previously described. The upper hopper 28 is connected by a conduit 50 to the lower hopper 28 which delivers all rejected coins to the cup I3.

When a genuine silver coin is inserted it follows the path shown in. solid arrows in Fig. 8 and thereby passes into the chute 48. If the upper end of the device is tilted forwardly, a copper or aluminum slug might be caused to drop into the upper hopper 39. However, it would be projected towards the front end of the lower hopper 28, due to its specific properties and due to'the tilting of the devire. If the upper end of the device were tilted re arwardly, a slug of high resistance might be caused to'fall into the upper hopper 39. However, it would fall to the rear of the lower hopper 39 on account of its specific properties and also the rearward tilting of the upper end of the machine. 1

It will thus be seen that I have provided a coin separator for silver coins in which coins and slugs are classified exclusively by the effect thereon or an electric field acting upon the coins in tree falling condition, which field is produced by permanent magnets and requires no source 01' exterior energy. Furthermore, I have provided additional improvements whereby the machine is .ent of the United States is:

1. A coin separator comprising opposed poles of permanent magnets defining a field which field occupies an elongated zone inclined to the vertical, said magnets defining a slot through which spurious coins and slugs may fall substantially undefiected, means for dropping coins freely through said zone in a direction generally transverse to its length, and separate means for collecting coins deflected to different amounts.

2. A coin separator comprising opposed permanent magnets defining a field, which field occupies an elongated zone inclined to the vertical, means for arresting coins and tokens and for liberating them into the upper part of said zone in a direction generally transverse to its length whereby they fall freely through said field, said magnets defining a slot through which spurious coins and slugs may fall substantially undefiected and means for receiving different coins and tokens depending upon the deflection thereof.

3. A coin separator comprising opposed permanent magnets defining an open vertical passage through which coins and slugs may pass in deflected and substantially vertical paths, means establishing a strong field across said passage, said field occupying a zone which is elongated and located at an angle to the vertical, means for delivering coins and tokens for free falling through said passage in a direction generally transverse to its length, a cup below said magnets adapted to receive silver coins, and means on opposite sides of said cup for receiving other coins and tokens.

4. A coin separator comprising a plurality of aligned permanent magnets, a plurality of aligned pennanent magnets in spaced relation and in opposition thereto, said magnets being located'to provide an elongated zone including a field of strong intensity which field is inclined to the vertical, said magnets defining a slot through which spurious coins and slugs may pass substantially undefiected and means for discharging coins and tokens into the space between the opposed magnets to fall freely through the zone in a direction generally transverse to its length, and collecting means below the ma nets for collecting coins deflected by the field to a predetermined degree.

5. A coin separator comprising two rows of permanent horseshoe magnets, said rows being arranged with their poles in opposition and defining a vertical slot in which a strong permanent field exists, said rows of magnets being aligned in a sloping direction to render the field both long and sloping, and means for delivering coins and tokens into an upper part of said slot whereby they may drop freely through the sloping field and be deflected thereby in a manner depending upon their mass and the specific gravity of the metal of which they are formed, said slot being sufliciently wide to permit spurious coins to fall substantially vertically and genuine coins to follow said field to a considerable degree before falling, and means below the magnets for collecting coins and tokens deflected to a certain extent.

6. A coin separator comprising magnetic means for deflecting coins and tokens to different extents depending upon their specific conductivities, means for receiving coins having a predetermined deflection, and thermoresponsive means adapted to be heated by a hot coin inserted into the separator, and means controlled by said thermoresponsive meanslfor preventing any coins or tokens from entering said receiving means.

7. A coin separator comprising means defining a. magnetic field adapted to deflect coins and tokens to varying extent depending upon their specific conductivities, collecting means for receiving coins and tokens deflected to a certain extent, means defining a magnetic field adapted, to deflect coins and tokens in the opposite direction, collecting means for receiving coins and tokens deflected to a certain extent, means for conveying coins and tokens from the first said collecting means to the second said means defining a magnetic field, and means rigidly carrying said means defining magnetic fields and said collectors, whereby the separator is rendered inoperative when tilted.

FRED E. A. WAILIN. 

